Tourist tax collections in Collier County rose by more than 11 percent year-over-year in October.

They would have fallen by more than 6.5 percent if it hadn't been for a penny hike in the tax that took effect Sept. 1.

The tourism industry was still feeling the hurt of Hurricane Irma in October. The county saw 139,100 visitors staying in hotels and other short-stay vacation rentals — down 11.3 percent from a year ago. Some hotels were still closed due to the hurricane, with 1,600 units offline for either storm-related repairs or planned renovations.

With fewer rooms available overall, occupancy rose to nearly 80 percent in October, a 6.2 percent increase over the same month last year, according to a report by the county's tourism consultant Research Data Services Inc.

Higher occupancy helped drive up rates.

“There was a 3.2 percent increase in average daily rate for rooms over October 2016, fueled by high demand from returning visitors and post-hurricane workers,” said Jack Wert, executive director of the Naples, Marco Island, Everglades Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Hoteliers were pleased to see that revenue per average room increased 9.2 percent, a big help to them considering the revenue they lost while properties were closed due to damages and waiting for power to return.”

Visitors paid more than $1.2 million in tourist taxes on overnight stays in October. The tax pays for tourism marketing and beach projects, and supports local museums, attractions and events.

In June county commissioners voted to raise the bed tax from 4 percent to 5 percent to build an amateur stadium and sports complex in East Naples. The project is still in the planning stages.

From January through October the county saw 1,477,600 visitors. That's down 1.1 percent from the same months in 2016, a drop that's blamed on the aftermath of Irma.

In a recent survey more than 81 percent of lodging managers in the area reported their reservations for the next three months were up or the same when compared to a year ago.

“We continue to spread the word through advertising, public relations and social media that our destination is open for business and welcoming visitors, and we’re looking forward to a solid winter visitor season,” Wert said.